The Los Angeles Kings have bounced in and out of the playoffs the past few years. After winning two Stanley Cups in three seasons in 2012 and 2014, the Kings missed the payoffs in 2015. They made it back to the dance in 2016, but then missed it again in 2017, ultimately costing general manager Dean Lombardi and head coach Darryl Sutter, two key members of their Stanley Cup victories, their jobs.

The Kings began a new era in 2017-18 with general manager Rob Blake and head coach John Stevens. They enjoyed a rebound season, going 45-29-8, good to get them back in the playoffs, but they got bounced in the first round by the surprisingly good Vegas Golden Knights.

Key to Los Angeles’ rebound season was excellent play from their three most valuable players. Anze Kopitar had one of the best seasons of his career, putting up 92 points while also winning his second Selke Trophy for the league’s best defensive forward. Drew Doughty finished second in Norris Trophy voting, logging 26:50 minutes per game and chipping in with 60 points. Finally, Jonathan Quick regained his elite form, posting a .921 save percentage in 64 games, earning him the Jennings Trophy for playing on the team with the fewest goals against.

Beyond them, L.A. also got a renaissance season from Dustin Brown, who chipped in with a career-high 33 goals. That was key because Jeff Carter, the team’s best goal scorer, missed the majority of the season due to an injury. The Kings best strength, though, was their ability to keep the puck out of the net as their blueline played rock solid all year.

In the off-season, the Kings made one big free agency stab, adding Ilya Kovalchuk to the mix. The former first-overall pick had been playing in the KHL since 2013, but made his return to the NHL after winning an Olympic gold medal with team Russia in Pyeongchang last February. Despite being 35 years old, Kovalchuk had been regarded as the best player not playing in the NHL and gives the Kings a much-needed offensive threat at the top of their lineup.

Another important order of business for the Kings over the summer was getting franchise defenceman Drew Doughty locked up long-term. Doughty was set to hit the free agent market for the first time in his career on July 1, 2019, but the Kings gave him an eight-year extension worth $11 million annually, meaning he’ll very likely play out the rest of his career in the Kings uniform.

Los Angeles has been in salary cap hell for the past few years and it isn’t getting any easier. With Doughty’s $11 million cap hit kicking in next season, things are going to get even tighter for the Kings. That said, none of their key players are in need of new deals any time soon, it’ll just make things difficult for the team if they want to improve the team over trade or free agency.

After an eventful and at times confusing offseason, the Carolina Hurricanes got off to a scorching start to the 2018-19 season. In their first five games, the Canes went 4-0-1 while outscoring the opposition 22-15 in all situations and 16-9 at 5v5. They were also controlling 62.4% of the unblocked shot attempts at 5v5 during…